Elton John’s Past Hologram Comments Resurface Amid Vegas Reports

Sir Elton John appears to have made something of a u-turn when it comes to his stance on digital hologram “performances”.

The Sun recently reported that the Candle In The Wind singer – who officially retired from touring in 2023 – was teaming up with a leading tech company to put together a new show at Las Vegas’ new Hard Rock Hotel, which would see a digital likeness of himself performing a residency there.

According to the tabloid, Sir Elton will film performances at Pinewood Studios just outside London later this year, which will then be used to create his digital likeness.

He’ll even reportedly be joined by former collaborators Kiki Dee and Dua Lipa, who have also been tipped to appear as holograms in the unique live show.

The Sun’s undisclosed “source” said the planned shows were “a shift away from a traditional residency and is billed as a fully immersive experience”, and would be “similar to the ABBA Voyage show in London”, only “far more advanced as the technology has come on so much” since that opened in 2023.

HuffPost UK has contacted Sir Elton John’s team for comment.

What’s interesting is that Sir Elton has previously made his feelings clear on the subject of these hologram shows, claiming in 2018 that he’d once told his eldest son Zachary: “When Daddy dies, promise me there won’t be a hologram going around the world doing concerts.”

“That’s the last thing I want,” he was quoted as saying at the time, opining (as reported by NME): “It’s so spooky. Who knows – they may go broke and then put me back on the fucking stage, but I think that’s a bit freaky.”

It’s worth pointing out, though, that at the time of Sir Elton’s comments in 2018, the digital hologram technology was mostly being used to put on shows using the likenesses of performers who had died without their prior consent.

Since then, a number of living artists have endorsed “live experiences” using digital versions of themselves, most notably the bands ABBA and Kiss.